There are all sorts of gimmicks and gotchas out there. And the best thing to keep you from falling victim to them is your own caution, skepticism, and most of all, knowledge. Laws are in place to protect consumers from fraud and false advertising, but there are still other problems that you might encounter in the marketplace. Here, we spot marketing that can leave you with an empty wallet and a loss of faith in your own power to protect yourself. You’ll find up-to-date information that you can use to arm yourself against bad deals. And you can let us know about what you encounter – good and bad – in the the marketplace.